Ecuador
The Galapagos Islands and Ecuador are home to incredible wildlife, such as the famous
Galapagos Turtle and the lesser known, but more common Red Rock or Sally Lightfoot
crab (pictured). Begin Your Journey!

Chile
The Andes dominate much of Chile, including the breath-taking Torres del Paine National
Park (pictured). However, the country also hosts the world's driest desert and
a thriving metropolis. Begin Your Journey!

Bolivia
This hidden gem is full of surprises, from the impressive salt flats (pictured)
to the migrating flamingos. It also clings to the most historic indigenous culture
on the continent. Explore Bolivia!

Brazil is a huge country with great geographic diversity, including numerous natural
barriers. This landscape, from the foothills of the Andes to the Amazon River basin,
has created hundreds of different cultures in the past, many of which continue to
survive today.

Due to geographic isolation, many people in modern day Brazil developed along very
different paths, but nearly all clung to the earth as culture and lifestyle were
based on the plants and animals that were available to the people. Even today many
of these people and cultures survive, particularly in the dense Amazon rain forests.
In some areas the people are so isolated and their cultures are so authentic, the
Brazilian government doesn't allow anyone into these areas in fear of destroying
these people by way of disease.

Although some cultures and ethnic minorities have survived in Brazil for thousands
of years, for the overwhelming majority of the country, life is more strongly rooted
in more recent changes. With the arrival of the Spanish the many indigenous groups
of people in Brazil took many different paths, from surviving in the forests to
being enslaved or integrated into the immigrating population.

Among the earliest immigrants, most were Portuguese, but the Portuguese sought to
control and profit from this vast land and didn't have the manpower to do so.
This led to massive immigration of people from other areas, including Africa, often
in the form of slavery. The French, Dutch, Spanish, and others also arrived to profit
from these lands, making the country even more diverse.

The many introductions and changes to the country led to a continuous altering of
the culture and people. Some communities remain tied to indigenous roots and cultures,
others have become almost wholly African in ethnicity, but culturally and linguistically
may be more closely tied to Portugal or Africa. Still others have taken on the route
of the majority, which is a developing Brazilian culture based on European traditions
as the Portuguese language and Catholicism dominate.

Cultural variations expand beyond just ethnicity; they also change according to
the urban-rural balance, socio-economic class, and more. The cultural and lifestyle
differences among the people in Brazil are vast and seemingly endless. However,
most of the people remain united in many ways; most of the people speak Portuguese
and are Catholic, among other important identifying features.